Autumn Ruby™ Encore Azalea

Autumn Ruby Encore Azalea (Azalea x hybrida 'CONLER') is a heat tolerant azalea that flowers three times a year rather than once. It carries lipstick pink semi double flowers about 50mm across, peaks in autumn and spring with a lighter flush through summer, and grows into a medium mound about 1.2m high and 1.5m wide. It is part of the Encore Azalea range that Ozbreed brings to Australian gardens.

Why you'll love it

• Three seasons of flower. A conventional azalea gives you a few weeks in spring. Autumn Ruby flowers in spring, again through summer and heaviest in autumn, when little else in the border is doing much.
• Built for heat. Encore azaleas were selected to keep flowering through hot summers, which is why this one succeeds in gardens that cook older varieties.
• Frost tolerant. It takes winter cold in the southern states and on the tablelands without losing its foliage.
• A tidy mound without shaping. The medium mounding habit stays rounded with a single prune a year.
• Flowers in sun. Where many azaleas want shade, this one performs in full sun as well as part shade.

Where it works best

Mass planting and borders. Plant 80cm apart for a massed drift, roughly one and a half plants per square metre, or 1m apart in a single row along a path. At 80cm the mounds merge into a continuous bank of foliage within two seasons.

Specimen planting. One plant beside a path or an entry gives a 1.5m wide dome of colour at the two times of year people are outside most.

Mixed garden beds. It sits well in front of larger evergreen shrubs, where its autumn flush lifts the bed after summer. Like every azalea, all parts of the plant are poisonous if eaten, so it is not one for a garden where a dog chews plants.

Growing Autumn Ruby Encore Azalea in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun to part shade. It suits subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate and Mediterranean gardens and is listed for every state and territory. In the hottest inland gardens give it afternoon shade and consistent water.

Soil. Well drained soil with plenty of organic matter, on the acid side as azaleas prefer. Plant with the root ball slightly above the surrounding soil and mulch with a chunky mulch to keep the shallow roots cool. Heavy, waterlogged soil is the usual cause of failure.

Water and feed. Water well through the first year, which is what turns it into a plant that tolerates moderate drought. After that, top up in dry spells; the roots are shallow and it shows stress before deeper rooted shrubs do. A slow release fertiliser for acid loving plants in spring is enough.

Pruning. Prune straight after the spring flowering. Pruning later removes the buds that make the summer and autumn flushes, which is the most common mistake with repeat flowering azaleas.

What to expect when it arrives

We sell Autumn Ruby Encore Azalea in 140mm pots in packs of 10, the practical size for a border or a massed drift. The plants arrive bushy and well rooted, travel upright and settle quickly in mild weather; planted in autumn or spring they put on a flush of new growth within four to six weeks.

Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse the full azalea range
• See the full Ozbreed range
• More plants for mass planting
• Frost hardy plants for cold gardens

Common questions

When does it flower?

Three flushes: spring, a lighter one through summer and the heaviest in autumn. In warm climates the autumn flush can run into early winter.

Can I grow it in full sun?

Yes. Unlike most azaleas it flowers well in full sun, though in hot inland gardens afternoon shade and regular water keep the flowers from scorching.

Is it safe around pets?

No. Like all azaleas it is poisonous if eaten by dogs, cats or livestock, so plant it where pets do not graze.